Should the domestic football season be moved following winter of frustration?

Should the domestic football season be moved following winter of frustration?

AFTER another weekend of multiple postponements due to the adverse weather across the region, has the time finally come to move the season to the summer?

It is a controversial topic without question, but one that definitely merits discussion given the frustrations of managers across the pyramid.

While you can never guarantee any gave would go at any stage, moving the fixtures from March until October would reduce the risk of cancellations and prevent sides from playing three times a week when the spring comes around and the nights get longer.

A prime example of this comes from Lock Stock Welsh Alliance Division Two promotion chasers Prestatyn Sports, who have an astonishing nine games in hand on leaders Glan Conwy but could have their title chances hampered by playing so many games in such a short space of time.

Many players are unable to take part in midweek fixtures due to work commitments, and Sports are not the only ones facing a fixture backlog that is going to seriously test their credentials during the run-in.

Harder pitches could mean more injuries during the summer, and there is also the historic and well supported Vale of Clwyd Summer League to consider when making such a decision given its importance to villages in the area.

The administrative issues would be vast if a move were to ever take place, and perhaps the more likely scenario would be to have a winter break such as the one that transpires in the Vale of Clwyd and Conwy League.

Cutting out the most damaging period of the season would be more beneficial but with so many cup competitions to also contend with it may not solve the problem of pile-up for those pushing for honours.

It is clear that the North Wales region is crying out for more 3/4G pitches that teams can use in the event of a cancellation, as there are currently nowhere near enough to accommodate the demand of one of the most thriving areas regarding domestic football anywhere in the country.

Just Llandudno, Bangor City, Bala Town, Airbus Broughton and Coleg Llandrillo boast such a pitch at the present time, and it seems criminal that there is no 3G pitch in Denbighshire when you consider how many people play football on a regular basis.

This is simply not good enough, and the Football Association of Wales need to continue the positive momentum generated from the European Championships by making significant investment in facilities throughout the North Wales region if the game is to thrive in the coming years.

Building 3G pitches and acquiring the necessary funds does take considerable time, but it is evident that something needs to be done about the current situation regarding postponements.

Some teams have been away from the field for so long that it would be prudent for them to organise another pre-season to get players back up to full fitness, which is ludicrous when you consider that many train just once a week and do not have the time to put the extra hours in.

Having more 3G pitches would also help the development of youth and academy players, who have also been left frustrated on a Saturday and Sunday morning due to waterlogged pitches, and in this day and age this cannot go on otherwise the overall game itself is going to suffer.

The FAW need to take a good look at this once and for all as it is going to continue to be an ongoing problem that threatens to hamper participation levels at various levels of the pyramid.

This is the lifeblood of the game in this country, and the farcial nature of not enough facilities and no outright solution to this problem is something that will be a detriment to the game going forward.

There can no longer be a ‘wait and see’ approach to this issue, something needs to be done now.

Ipsoregulated

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